The Loire Valley and especially Blois
We had six stères (cubic mètres) of oak and hornbeam firewood delivered today in 50 cm lengths. It took the two of us 2 1/2 hours to stack it all under the new staircase. I hope I will be able to walk tomorrow! On nous a livré six stères de chêne et de charme en …
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Seen on our last walk, which was not today. It was too cold and rainy to set foot outside the house so we stayed by the fire reading and playing cooperative Scrabble. And I finally cooked my Christmas cake. Vu pendant notre dernière promenade qui n’était pas aujourd’hui. Il faisait bien trop froid et pluvieux …
Continue reading “Lockdown #2 Phase 2 – Day 9 – Reconfinement Phase 2 – Jour 9”
One of the things that keeps us sane during lockdown is our fireplace. It makes the long evenings very cosy. Our house was built in 1584 according to the stone plaque above the mantel. L’une des choses qui nous aide à garder le moral pendant le confinement est notre cheminée. Notre maison fut construite en …
Continue reading “Lockdown #2 Day 26 – Reconfinement Jour 26”
After an extraordinarily warm September, we are moving into October with lower temperatures than usual and rain every day. Time for Scrabble by the fire. Après un moins de septembre extraordinairement doux, nous approchons le mois d’octobre avec des températures plutôt basses pour la saison et de la pluie tous les jours. C’est le temps …
Continue reading “Fireside Scrabble – Scrabble au coin du feu”
Winter, unfortunately, is not over so we needed to top up our wood pile. Wood in France is sold by the stère which is a cubic metre of wood usually cut to 50 cm lengths. The wood here is mostly oak with some hornbeam and ash. The measuring unit for firewood in France is the stère, …
Continue reading “The Firewood Delivery – La livraison de bois de chauffe”
Like Spain, Portugal has a long tradition of azulejos or ceramic tiles. This fully tiled fireplace is in the Swan Room of the National Palace of Sintra built in the early 15th century, which is up on a hill outside Lisbon and therefore much cooler in winter. Comme l’Espagne, le Portugal a une longue tradition …
Continue reading “Postcard from Lisbon – Fully tiled fireplace – Cheminée entièrement carrelée”
This strange fireplace which is in Palazzo Grimani in Venice, was built in the sixteenth century in the ancient Roman style, and is very different from the fireplaces constructed in Blois and Chambord at the same time. Cette étrange cheminée qui se trouve au Palazzo Grimani, fut construite au seizième siècle dans le style antique, …
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I often publish photos here of fireplaces so I thought you might like to see this outside fireplace in Venice. Je publie souvent des photos de cheminées dans ce blog alors j’ai pensé que cela pourrait vous intéresser de voir cette cheminée extérieure à Venise.
This is another of the magnificent painted fireplaces in Blois Castle in the King’s Room, with François I’s salamander on the left and the ermine of his wife, Claude de France, on the right. Voici une autre cheminées peinte magnifique qui se trouve au château de Blois dans la Salle du roi avec le salamandre …
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Another porcupine symbolising Louis XII, cette time on the painted fireplace mantle in Château de Chaumont. Un autre porc-épic le symbole de Louis XII cette fois sur le manteau d’une cheminée peinte au château de Chaumont.